Supernatural
by C. Nichole
Summary: It's been a long week and a very hot day; Sarah's looking for some reprieve from the heat within her dreams and finds a Goblin King waiting in the wings, with ice.
1. Everything is Magical

**No, no matter how much I wish it were otherwise, I have no rights to the Labyrinth and or any of it's characters. Though sometimes I wish _they _would relinquish their power over _me._ No copyright infringement intended and I sure am not being paid for my efforts~except for with love and kisses! Not exceptionally explicit, but I'm writing as an adult for adults here and therefore I am going with a M rating :)**

* * *

_Everything is magical  
When you're near, it's magical  
You're supernatural  
I feel your touch, in my dreams  
Everything is magical  
When you're near, it's magical  
It's supernatural  
I feel your touch, in my dreams_

_Little Boots: Magical_

She was barely through her front door and already peeling her clothing from her rapidly overheating body. The weather was queer today, hot, sticky, and had completely taken everyone off guard. A hundred degrees was completely uncommon, even in August, and the city dragged itself along at a significantly slower pace.

_TGIF is right, _Sarah thought to herself. It had been a long week and coupled with the heat, the weekend had taken an eternity to clothes strewn haphazardly near and around her entrance and finally down to her tolerably cool undergarments, Sarah found her way into the kitchen in search of an iced glass of water.

Her cat, Mephi, lay sprawled along the cool, tile floor, body stretched out at what should have been an impossible angle, "Poor kitty," she said while bending down to scratch him behind his ears, "at least I don't have fur." After checking his water levels (but didn't that cat love to spill his water _all over_ her kitchen floor), Sarah righted herself and continued in her pursuit of a cold drink.

Sarah reached across her fridge to open her freezer door to grab the ice tray. She lingered for a moment in the glorious frosty air, before the temperature rose and the freezer fan kicked in to regulate it. Sarah moved the metal tray over to the counter and cracked the cubes out of their places, little shards of ice scattering over the countertop before melting away to water.

Grabbing a large glass from the cupboard above her, Sarah filled it to the brim with ice before occupying the rest of the space with tap water. Switching the glass for her metal ice cube tray, Sarah filled it and replaced it in its frozen home. _What's on the schedule for tonight?_ Sarah thought to herself; television? Music? Internet? It was too hot for electronics that would only contribute to the heat, _a book then, _she thought, as she made her way towards her room.

In her bedroom the fan was rapidly oscillating and yet barely managing to take the edge off of the unrelenting heat of summer. The weekend was her time for herself and if she wanted to laze about on her bed all day reading, then so help her, she would**. **Romance, Romance, Science Fiction, Fantasy; flipping through to her favorite pages helped alleviate the slow passage of time. Though, in this heat, even the distraction of reading was wearing on her patience. Dropping her book, Sarah drowsed, fitfully alternating between dark dreams and the sating of dark desires and impatient wakefulness, with the frustrated awareness of the thin cotton tank-top and boy-shorts sticking uncomfortably to her skin.

She dreamed herself in the present it seemed, restlessly shifting on her blanketless bed, trying in vain to find a cool space, some reprieve from the heat. Kicking her heels impatiently on her bed, Sarah cursed the weather, "There is a _reason_ I live in Seattle- spell it with me sun- R-A-I-N. Glorious, wet, cool: rain!"

Almost a response to her fit, slowly her dream shifted, the small bedroom darkening to night and a soft breeze rustled the crocheted curtains her grandmother had insisted she hang ("Memories from home, pumpkin")- ahh, yes. Change was a-coming. A queer sort of haze settled over Sarah's mind as goose bumps pricked her arms. The hair on the back of her neck stood up and Sarah realized she would soon have a new reason to curse: "_Jareth."_

And as if a name can summon, bring forth from the very air that indelible presence, Sarah once more exhibited her power over the mighty fey.

He had stretched himself along the edge of her bed, apparently appropriately dressed for the weather (and the setting) in a long linen shirt, open to the waist, with matching breeches- startlingly slack considering his penchant for _tighter _clothing. Indeed, the only tightness of his apparel were his ever-present gloves. He considered her thoughtfully before running an icy, gloved finger over the pulse-point on her neck.

Would this be the dream plot- a wicked, tempting king come to cool her, or infuriate her? So often her dreams seemed to mimic life which, at the moment, was hot, harsh, and much too real. But ever so often, something soft and sweet would sneak its way into her mind, a small reprieve from normalcy.

"_Sarah," _he mimicked, tracing a cool finger along the pulse point in her neck.

Sarah shivered and almost purred, the cold touch so welcome against her flushed skin. But she rallied her defences before finally glaring and poking him menacingly in the chest. "You're breaking the rules, you know; you shouldn't be able to invade my privacy _here." _

His gaze lazily roamed her hardly-considered-decent clothing, finally coming to rest on her eyes, "Love," he grinned, "You should know better than to say _my_ name. You of all people know what power you have over me." His gaze hardened, though the lazy expression on his face remained.

"Well," Sarah started, while slowly shifting into a sitting position beside him on her bed, "as we _both _know, you have no power over _me, _and as this _is_ my dream, I'm about to dream you _out _of it- out of my bed, out of my room, out of my hous-" he cut her words short with a touch to her lips.

"So quick to dismiss me, even before you see what I'm offering you?" His eyebrow rose with the question, slightly mocking, anticipating a heated reply.

Sarah swatted at his hand, "You couldn't possibly offer me _any-bloody-thing_ worth keeping you in my bed for."

Jareth smiled at her, sharp canines flashing, "_Silly_ Sarah," he drawled, "how could you possibly know what you are rejecting, if you have never taken the opportunity to experience all that I offer?"

"I don't have to jump in front of a moving train to _know_ that it's a bad idea; some things just go without saying, or experiencing..." Sarah said while shifting her body closer to the headboard and further away from the temptation he offered.

"Allow me to...share with you what only I can allow you to experience. I will leave no room for complaint, rest assured." Jareth said as he continued slinking forward undaunted, eyes darkening intensely, "No one will think less of you for giving in here, Sarah. It will be our little secret," he said with an exaggerated heart-crossing motion over his hardly clothed chest.

Sarah leaned away from his nearness, "Always on your terms, isn't it? Never one little concession. Not even the slightest," her gaze became as fierce as his had been. "_I_ will know and that would be enough." She said as she crossed her arm, as if that gesture finalized the sentiment she was projecting, "_You_ are apparently at my whim, so this is going to go exactly according to _my _terms."

He just gave her a lop-sided grin, "Can't blame one for trying, dear one," he shifted his weight on to his forearms, sliding forward and invading her space, "_Your_ terms, my lady?"

Sarah eyes flashed in annoyance, "First, you're hogging all the bed. You're going to want to shimmy down over that way, now," she said while gesturing towards the opposite side of the bed.

"But how can I ease your discomfort from there?" He asked, eyebrow cocked, "I _am _here to help ease your discomfort with your current predicament."

"What predicament, the only predicament I seem to be in at the moment is the one with you in my bed," she answered haughtily.

"Obviously, _Sarah_..." he drawled slowly, lips and tongue dragging her name out into the most seductive sound she'd ever heard, "the heat."

Sarah choked out a laugh, "Oh mighty Goblin King, not only ruler of tiny minions, but a god of weather as well?"

His eyes flashed with annoyance, "You give me too much credit, Sarah. Clearly, I have no cognisant power over _this_ world's weather patterns, I simply was going to enlighten you in the manner of which we fay enjoy spending hot summer evenings."

The sweat was trickling down now, hair sticky along her neck, "No, I have no desire to be indebted to you for anything," she answered, lips dry with the heat. She resisted the temptation to lick them. His eyes gauged her body in its obvious discomfort.

His gaze softened, "Sarah, let me ease your discomfort, did you not say that I am here at your whim?" He smiled softly at her, words coaxing her, "I promise to behave... I would have been your _willing_ slave... do give my morals some credit," he said while running cool fingertips along the inside of her arm.

Sarah shivered, sweat and heat getting the better of her, and regarded him, distrust evident in her eyes, "You're lucky I'm dreaming or I'd never agree to this," she replied while slowly easing closer towards him in her bed, "_usually _my dreams feature Ryan Reynolds... and I'm not about to go into detail how _they _end up," she muttered while easing herself back.

She wasn't being _entirely _truthful, with either herself or the Goblin King. Though her dreams did frequently feature the delicious Mr. Reynolds they also, more often than not, featured a certain-he-who-shall-not-be-named mixed-eyed king.

He laughed softly, darkly, "Precious," he hissed, "_I _could give you such pleasure that you've never dreamed. But tonight we shall have to be contented with what is permitted. So, do roll yourself over and let me show you how we...what is your little human phrase... ah- yes, 'beat the heat' in the Underground."

Sarah rolled her eyes at his trope, but nevertheless obliged with an exaggerated sigh, her gaze lingering on his exposed chest (completely against her will-_thank you very much!) _before she finally settled on her stomach. Never underestimate the power of a barely-there poet's shirt.

"Sarah-" she jumped at the nearness of his voice in her ear, "this would be much more effective without any barriers to your skin..." he suggested hopefully.

Sarah snorted into her pillow, "Keep dreaming, Casanova. Speaking of which, my dream- my demands, cool now!"

Sarah could hear the smile in his reply, "As the lady commands..." and the bed shifted to accommodate his vertical movement.

Then there was nothing, for a good half minute, and Sarah was beginning to believe that she'd really fallen into a deep sleep- one that even fey kings could take no part in. Then she heard him cough and Sarah shifted her head to look back at him, "Problems?"

He glared at her, "It would seem, love, that my ability to summon has been greatly diminished at this present time." Sarah choked on her laughter; the great Goblin King was suffering from some magical _impotence_.

"Anything I can help with, oh magical one?" she snickered.

"Oh, Sarah," he whispered silkily, his gaze lingering on her lips, "_don't _tempt me."

Sarah swallowed audibly, before scooting from the bed, "How about some ice cubes?" she offered as she walked out her bedroom door. Apparently sufficient for his current plans, he waved her off to the kitchen with a flick of his wrist- annoyance evident on his face.

Sarah walked to the fridge without incident and in no small way was unaware of the fact that, even in her own dream, she somehow ended up catering to the whims of one magical being.

"Here," she practically threw the little metal ice cube tray in his face.

He regarded the little metal tool as if it possessed three heads and five talons, "And how am I supposed to use _this?" _He queried disdainfully.

Sarah seated herself on the bed, "Here, your_ majesty, _allow me." Sarah took the tray from his outstretched arms, manoeuvred it between her hands and popped some cubes from their frozen places.

Jareth plucked one of the cubes from the tray, positioned between his fingers, waiving dangerously close to Sarah's lips. "Lie down, sweeting," he said, his expression darkening with some unknown feeling. Swallowing audibly, gaze questioning, almost leery, Sarah was happy to turn the attention away from her mouth and back to her heat-induced-fever-dream-grumpy.

Sarah slid her body long on the hot bed, squirming uncomfortably from the heat of the room and the unreadable look in Jareth's eyes. Sarah's spine stiffened as Jareth softly moved the hair at the back of her neck to the side, "Trust me, love. It won't hurt." The ice followed, fingers slowly tracing the ice in a path down her neck.

Sarah let out a contented sigh before she could catch herself, eliciting a low chuckle from her fay diversion. "It will only get better," he said, as the cool air from his words blew cool air over her moist skin. Sarah bit her lip to keep from purring; he continued, "...I promise," as his lips barely grazed the back of her neck.

Sarah bit her cheek to keep focused, "I am _still_ hot, Jareth. So, unless you are set on being unceremoniously kicked from my bed, I would get on with it."

The ice quickly slipped from the back of her neck to under her shirt, trailing its way slowly (and coldly!) down her back. Sarah squealed in shock, though the cube quickly dissipated in the heat. "If this is how the fay cool down, I don't want any part of it," Sarah declared angrily.

"Since you _insist_ on remaining fully clothed, Sarah," Jareth returned calmly, "And _since_ you were so anxious to be cool, I decided to simply facilitate your desire."

Sarah could hear the smile in his voice, "_Nicely, _because doing it again will get you kicked too," she huffed.

"No more threats, no more demands," Jareth's voice hardened, "I find myself weary of living up to your expectations for me, Sarah." His finger tips punctuating the words along the line of her shoulder blade, "Tonight, _you are mine_..." he trailed off, words hanging in the air unsaid and yet somehow known: _you have always been mine._

A frisson went up her spine and somewhere deep inside Sarah knew all levity had left this situation. Somewhere _deep, dark, secret_ Sarah knew the reality of her current situation; there the facade of a dream-world had broken, leaving only reality. And she somewhere deep inside, Sarah revelled with the knowledge of what was truly happening to her.

"Jareth...?" Sarah questioned hesitantly, turning her head further to the side to see his eyes. A feral grin met her gaze and he shifted so fast her eyes couldn't keep up with the movement of his preternatural body. Sarah found herself flipped onto her back, arms pinned above her with one of his.

Her body slid deeper into her mattress, forced to compensate for the weight of him hovering over her. Sarah tensed, shock evident on her features, "You could have asked, you know!" she spat out.

"And since when do you make it a habit to comply with my demands?" he shot back; Sarah answered him with a glare, "Precisely, now. No more words, unless they happen to be: Oh, yes, Jareth. More Jareth! Don't stop Jareth!" his voice taking on a mocking falsetto. Sarah made ready with an angry retort, but was cut off quickly by a cool finger at her lips, "Shh...just relax, dear one. I would never let any hurt come to you...unless you wanted it but, for now, _enjoy what I am offering."_

Strong Sarah, capable, dependable Sarah revolted at the allure of his words, but the answering darkness deep within her called out to him, soothed her: _It's just a dream, Sarah; surely you won't deny yourself the pleasures that can exist only within your mind?_

But hidden within dreams are truths that cannot be denied, Strong Sarah rallied: _To submit here is to lose all that we fought for, all that we are. _

The darkness called out to her, to him: _Only with submission can we truly experience all the pleasures of life. Let it go, let it all go, and trust that if we fall, we will get back up. However, you know Sarah, that if we fall here: he will catch us. Fall here and there is no pain, simply the pleasure that can only exist in a dream within a dream._

And whether it was the heat of the night or the belief that she was experiencing something that would be free of consequence, Sarah relaxed.

Jareth didn't hesitate for a second and one by one, the ice cubes were eliminated by the heat of the room and of Sarah. The cool drips lingered in the hollows of her body, delicious shivers trailed up and down her body in response to the tip of the ice and the trailing of Jareth's fingers.

Jareth's body pressed along Sarah's as he dipped his head into the hollow of her neck, the tip of his tongue darting out to lick the moisture there, his breath on that sensitive area causing goosebumps to prick her skin. Sarah purred, senses surrendered to the pleasure of his touch, his breath, his gaze.

And Strong Sarah knew of the overwhelming aura of satisfaction that emanated from his body. That part of her, which was still aware, was shouting fiercely, struggling in vain to get her to regain her faculties. That part of her knew how truly there is nothing in life that is ever free of consequence, especially concerning the Goblin King. And yet the overwhelming majority of her consciousness revelled in the pleasure he offered her, wanted nothing more than to experience everything the Goblin King could give her.

Sarah's breath came more rapidly, the heat forgotten, every moment hanging in the balance of Jareth's touch. His sharp teeth ran along her neck and she curved into the sensuous pleasure-pain before he slowly pulled himself back, making his way towards the tray.

The final cube, Sarah noted with some trepidation; was it the end, or just the beginning? Heavy-lidded eyes, full of promise, Jareth stared at Sarah, daring her to stop him. Her breath caught, fingers curled into the sheets- reason telling her to protest, yet every nerve in her body insisting she hold her tongue.

He trailed the ice down her collarbone, water pooling slightly in the hollow of her neck, and continued lower. The ice hitched on the ridge of her tank top before continuing on its achingly slow path. The edge of her breast, water seeping into the thin cloth furthering the inherently transparent nature of her shirt- their gaze never broke. _"Jareth," _Sarah choked out, "That's not fair..." Jareth eyebrow raised, the humour evident in his dark expression, "'No, it isn't. But that's the way it is'." Ice trailing perilously close to the peak...and stopped.

"Jareth!" Sarah managed to grind out, her fingers clenched in the bed's sheets.

"Don't stop?" He taunted back, his face somehow a hairsbreadth away from her, "Oh, this is only the beginning, dear one," his eyes lingering on her lips, "but unfortunately this time it will be you who is left wanting." Sarah's eyes flashed with confusion, but before she could comment his presence along her body shifted; his hand rose slowly to lightly graze her temple, "Sleep true, now."

And for the first time that during long, dark, night Sarah slept.

Sarah stretched out and relieved her alarm clock from its job of torturing her into wakefulness. Yawning, stretching, body still waking itself into coordination, Sarah smiled. _What a weird dream._ She though. Her consciousness experiencing that kind of relief that which only comes with waking from a strange dream and finding that you don't have to deal with the consequences of reality. It was cooler this morning, and inevitably would be a better day if only for that reason. Sitting up and swinging her legs off the bed she stopped short, barely keeping herself from slipping off of the bed. There, beside her alarm clock, neatly tucked away into the corner: the empty ice cube tray.

Somewhere, far-away and magical, there was someone supernatural, grinning with unadulterated satisfaction.

... _It will only get better... I promise..._

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**_A/N- Eeeeeeeeeeeeee........... I know, I know A/N. But it's my first go at it, so please (with sugar) be nice :D Constructive criticism (though I hope anyone who reads his doesn't only have that for me :D) is appreciated. Kicked into gear by Pika's amazing artwork: .com/art/GND68-The-One-With-The-Kiss-126045509 - though it__ was__ dreadfully hot this summer- and I __am__ hopelessly addicted to Little Boots at the moment and, let me tell you, I think Magical was written specifically with Jareth in mind ;) I know the whole dream thing seems to get done often (I know because I have read a million, but they're so FUN) but I hope you enjoyed anyway! Aaaalso- any errors and I truly do apologize. Just my little ole self checking up, so I'm guaranteed to miss something ;) Took me a LONG time to work up the nerve to publish this. Thank you for reading and for (hopefully) commenting!_**

**_~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Copywrite C. Nichole 2009. Do not use in part, whole, or content without expressed consent of the author.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
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	2. The Hunt

_Every night, every day  
Making plans for your escape  
All you love you destroy  
Everyone is your toy_

Tell us nothing, tell us lies  
Revelations, no surprise  
Tonight they hunt for you…

_Goldfrapp- Hunt_

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Sitting on a bench in the sun, Sarah did her best to blend in with the mishmash of tourists and locals.

Here- near the Pike Place Market, things were busy enough, crowded enough, loud enough that she could block the frustrations out of her mind.

It was almost fall now; summer was long since past and Sarah was glad for it- mostly.

He hadn't reappeared and Sarah hadn't decided whether or not she was happy or not with that; especially considering it would most likely be a short appearance to reaffirm his presence, only to then leave and not return.

Not that she wanted him to return, or anything. She _clearly_ hadn't decided which side of the issue she belonged to concerning _that_ whatsoever.

Sarah grabbed at the little plastic dish in her lap before deciding on a powdered, orange, candy to eat.

The day had started off well enough; nice, long walk along the boardwalk before most of the shops were open; stop for the best Turkish Delight in Seattle from the aptly named Turkish Delight; and then a nice, long sit in the sun. It's not sunny that often in Seattle, so it's always best to take advantage of it when the opportunity presents itself.

The little park she settled on was nice: good view of the market, nice, green knoll, and as long as you didn't look over the side of the railing at the far end, you could almost forget you were in the middle of a busy city, along side a huge interstate and instead pretend you were actually in a little park in the country somewhere.

And so, the day had started off well enough, but then it happened, between one bite of candy to the next, everything changed.

The air was no longer filled with the smells of ocean and the copious amounts of flowers from the market.

The hum of the crowd and the vendors was gone, replaced with… faint music?

Sarah closed her eyes tight against the onslaught to her senses.

_The taste…_ Sarah though fuzzily, _it's off…_

Her mind immediately shot back to another time when the taste of something familiar was no longer sweet.

Sarah's mind reeled: '_Hoggle, what have you done?' No…that's not it…what have I done?'_

She tried to reopen her eyes, to gauge exactly could be happening, but her body wouldn't allow her and before she knew it her mind went as black as her vision as her body slumped along the bench.

Hours later, Sarah reawakened at the market, shaking her head slowly in confusion.

She knew better than to discount any experiences as fanciful now, especially considering after what happened in the summer, so she took her time to regain her senses, slowly pushing herself upright.

_Huh_, she thought, _everything __**seems**__ normal. Did I just pass out on a park bench for six hours?_

Sarah looked down at her watch; apparently it was a little over eight hours, as it was now twilight in the city.

_Shit, what the hell happened? _Sarah eyed her surroundings suspiciously.

Nope, same old marina, same old market (albeit a mostly _closed_ market now), same old bench.

"Well…uh…I guess I should get going home?" Sarah said out loud, causing a couple nearby to eye her curiously.

Sarah cleared her throat self-consciously before slowly making her way upright.

Considering people passing out on park benches was a rather regular occurrence for the area, no one paid her any mind.

Thank god it wasn't a long trip home, just a short walk to the stop and a quick bus ride to her apartment.

But things aren't always what they seem and soon Sarah was realizing it.

The streetlights twinkled just a little too brightly, people laughed just a little too loudly, and the shadows were just a little too large and animated.

Something about the city wasn't natural.

Sarah did her best to ignore it. _Just make it home_, she kept thinking to herself, as if she would be somehow safer there; though, Sarah knew nothing could keep that world away from her if _he_ wished it and on some level that meant _her _wishing for it as well.

_And they wished it._

Keeping her head down, it was almost easy to ignore the strangeness of the city: one foot after the other- just watch the ground.

To her credit, she might have made it had she not heard the music, had it not gotten her attention, had she not looked directly at the _source_.

But like a moth to a flame, the music pulled her in until it had wrapped itself around her like a cocoon, clouding her mind and diffusing her rational thoughts.

Sarah approached the source of the dark music. It was an inconspicuous, little entrance along the side of an alley.

Sarah knew most of the best places in Seattle for eating, drinking, and dancing, but she had never come across this place before.

In fact, the street wasn't even really that familiar aside from retaining that vague façade of belonging to 'Seattle.'

She approached the entrance slowly and the music pulsed from within. Reaching for the door, Sarah almost caught herself, almost pulled back, but at the last second the door rushed open expelling a laughing couple.

Sarah was startled backwards and the couple stopped to look at her with exaggerated Cheshire grins.

_Too late now,_ she thought.

"Come to play?" the lady with skin as white as light asked.

Her whole presence seemed to glisten in the night. The lady's features were light and airy, her hair the color of spun gold and eyes a vivid copper. Her dress glistened in waves, mimicking the curling of ocean waters.

The arm of her companion snaked around the woman to pull her close. Where she was light, he was dark. Fearsome and alluring, his presences seemed to absorb the radiance of his partner, drawing her into him. His skin, his hair, his clothes, his eyes seemed to take their color from the night sky, beckoning you- daring you to look up into him, but not promising to relinquish the hold he would have over you once you did.

"She'll not be playing with _my_ toy," he said possessively and the light lady laughed.

"Of course, my dearest darkness," she soothed, "the lady will need to find her own balance."

Confused by the exchange Sarah watched over her shoulder as the couple moved away from her, seemingly laughing at her expense, though she knew not why.

An inky doorman came forth and offered his hand to her, body seeming to flicker in the low light of the city, "Will the lady be joining us?" he asked.

Sarah looked down at his hand before settling her own into it, "Yes, I believe I will be." And with that she was led inside.

"Is the lady on the list?" the doorman questioned and Sarah took a moment to gaze at him, unsettled by the way he seemed to melt into the wall.

Where the other couple was stark definitions of light and dark this man was opaque and seemed to absorb whatever was nearest to him, presently that was the dark corridor of the dancehall, so Sarah couldn't really make him out.

"I'm not sure," Sarah said, choosing instead to focus on the long, loud hallway that seemed to lead towards the music.

"What is your name, lady?" he asked silkily.

"Sarah…Williams," she said hesitantly, uncomfortable with giving him her name, though she couldn't say why.

He seemed to laugh at that, at least, his body seemed to ripple with amusement in the dark, "Of course, I really should have noticed sooner; down the hall, to the left. We've been expecting your arrival for some time now."

Sarah nodded as she was unsure of anything else she should do, and made her way down the long, sparsely lit hallway- following the muted sounds of the mystical music.

_So maybe the Turkish Delight was a bad idea,_ she thought absently, _should have stuck with Starbucks._

Funny though, she wasn't really scared, not truly. She'd been through weirder situations and her vivid imagination had guided her through those without too many scrapes.

_But you're older now- things change, you've changed. Somehow this seems a little different from last time,_ her mind chided her.

"Hmph," Sarah said while straightening her spine, "right: stronger, wiser, and ready to make _him_ answer for this stolen moment of my life."

Reaching the end of the hall, Sarah took one last, deep breath before cracking open the entrance.

Sarah's mind reeled as her senses tried, in vain, to take in her surroundings. Colors swirled in the room, lights flashed, the music broke over her in waves; Sarah was sucked into the magic of the area.

The music was almost like blues, except not, but somehow still exuded the same haunting, dark, undertones.

And it had driven the inhabitants of the room into a frenzy.

Couples, groups, individuals slipped and slid with the sounds that seemed to come from all directions. Their bodies thrummed against each other indecently, the lasciviousness of the dancing obviously having an affect on the dancers as some groups were little more than glorified orgies on the dance floor.

Sarah tried to look away, to focus her vision on something neutral, but it was nearly impossible, the very nature of the room seemed to be to encourage every dark desire one could possibly think of.

Approached from behind, Sarah felt someone grab at her hand, more specifically someone with _gloved_ hands grab at her hand.

Taking this as her opportunity to rage, Sarah whirled on him, "Who the hell do you think you are, luring me here like this? Think this is appealing to me? That I enjoy this? Well, buddy, _you_ haven't got a clue!"

However, instead of a mismatched pair of dark and light eyes, Sarah found herself staring at a pair of vivid indigo.

"Oh!" she squeaked out, "I…uhh…" Sarah sputtered, "thought you were someone….else…."

The handsome man in front of her laughed- a deep, luscious sound that carried over the music, "As long as it wasn't something I did. Forgive me for saying it, but I'd rather not be on the receiving end of your anger. I think you could handle yourself even in this den," he said while gesturing to the room.

Sarah refrained from looking around, "Apparently not many _are_ able to handle themselves, at least, not in any sort of public, appropriate ways."

He smiled down at her, "I take it you've never been here before, lovely one?"

Sarah shook her head, "Never," she said firmly.

The man took the opportunity to take in Sarah's dress; it had been a warm day, so a light jacket with her flowing green skirt and matching top had seemed like a good idea. What she was wearing now was nothing like what she was wearing an hour ago. Sometime between walking in the front door and walking through the dancehall entrance, Sarah's dress hand shifted and changed into something unreal.

Her outfit was still green, but shone with the entire spectrum of the color, though her jacket had disappeared; the dress she was wearing now clung to her body like a second skin, hugging tightly around her trim waist and rounded bottom before flaring out to stop just below her knees.

The top had curved around her neck into an approximation of a halter, though really just one side of the top curled its way around her neck, held in place with a clasp. The dress was split in an unsymmetrical curve along the middle, leaving very little to the imagination.

Sarah blushed, "I didn't walk in her wearing this," she said, embarrassed.

He grinned at that, sharp canines flashing, "We are all slaves to the will of this place," he said simply, as if it were a sufficient explanation.

Apparently the will of the room had dictated he look as scrumptious as inhumanly possible. Dark hair and vivid eyes were accented by an obviously tailor-made dress shirt and slacks combination. The black of his outfit was accented by buttons and cufflinks in the same incredibly color as his eyes.

He cut quite the tall, dark, striking figure.

"Massimo," he said, extending his hand for hers, "and the lady is…?"

"Sarah," she said, reaching out to place her hand in his. At the contact he swiftly bowed forward and placed a chaste kiss on her hand.

"A pleasure, would the lady Sarah care to dance?"

Sarah looked out hesitantly towards the dance floor, "I don'tdance like _that,_" she said sharply.

"Neither do I," he said, not relinquishing his hold on her hand, but pulling her into a waltzing position.

Sarah smiled up at him, "With this music, won't the waltz be a little difficult?"

He squeezed her hand reassuringly, "Anything is possible here," and with that, his tall, graceful body pulled her into what was a dance not quite like anything she'd ever experienced before.

It most closely resembled a waltz, but it felt more liquid than that as if her and his bodies were only extensions of the ebb and flow of the music.

It was magical and very quickly her mind forgot who she'd walked in looking for, entranced by the body and eyes of the dancer in front of her.

They weaved in and out of the other dancers, oblivious to the dark nature of their dancing, only aware of their own bodies moving in time with the music.

"You're a lovely dancer," Sarah said while staring up into his eyes.

"And_ you_ are as lovely as he says you are," he grinned down at her, expression changing into something fierce and frightening.

"What?" Sarah said sharply, "What are you talking about?"

At that Massimo pulled her in _tight_, pressing her slight body against his roughly.

"I always wondered how a king could become so enamored with a mere human, but you, Sarah. Well, with _you_ I can understand the obsession," his grip tightened frighteningly around her middle, making it hard to breathe.

"Let me go!" Sarah shrieked, but somehow the hum of the music overcame the sound of her voice. No one took notice of her struggle.

Twisting frantically, Sarah's mind was playing a game of _'I told you so'_ in addition to _'Not as wise as we thought we were.'_

"Silly, little, human," he taunted, "did you think you could escape our notice within these walls for long? Oh, the hunted treasure of the mortal world; we _smelled_ you coming from a mile away."

She should have known; the laughter of the couple at the entrance should have set her off, the familiarity of the doorman, the darkness of this place- all should have made her aware of the trap.

"Stop this, please! What do you want from me?" Sarah asked frantically.

He grinned down at her, sharp points of his teeth flashing in the pulsing lights, "Surely you know?" he said while cruelly twisting her head up to look at him directly in the eyes, "Only your life, lady."

"No…" Sarah mumbled weakly, realizing too late that looking into his eyes was the last mistake she was ever going to make.

The vivid purple swirled, "No more struggling, lovely lady," he said and Sarah went limp in his arms.

"Now let's see if you taste as sweet has he says you do," he said, while slowly lowering his lip to her neck.

Sarah was frozen, her mind furiously screaming at her to move, scream, do anything, but her body was completely inhibited by Massimo's dark gaze.

His teeth grazed over the throbbing vein in her neck, and it filled her with an icy dread.

"Jareth_…" _she called dimly.

_Too late….too late…._ Sarah's eyes slipped back into her head, her body a willing vessel for the monstrous creature before her.

And his face changed then, though she was not aware enough to see his gaze harden and flash with hunger, or see how his hands curled, claw-like around her.

He was beautiful now, in a way that only the truly evil can be. It insinuates its way into our lives, makes us feel comfortable, assured of its nature. And we don't see it, don't notice it slowly coiling itself around our hearts, making us grow accustomed to it, making it feel normal, making it feel appealing.

Truly evil beings are rarely ugly, for we would be more likely to see them for what they are. No, true evil hides itself within the confines of what we understand and are familiar with- what we trust, and is often achingly beautiful.

Until, one day, your mind catches up before your heart and you turn around and really _see it_, but by then it's too late.

Sarah felt his teeth slightly pierce her skin, felt his lips being a slow pull on her neck, and waited for her time to end.

But it never came, instead she found herself falling backward into the crush of people, ripped violently away from the claws of death that had surrounded her.

And the crowd caught her and toyed with her, slowly positioning her body between their own, "Silly, human, girl," they taunted, "have you learned nothing?"

Sarah felt like she was drifting, her mind slowly coming back to itself and still they held her, wrapped their bodies around her, pulled and pushed her with the music.

These individuals, loyal to the true power, kept her safe for _him._

Though Sarah was not aware of it, the room thrummed with the show of force: their king staking his claim.

His power had crashed over the room, whipping the revelers into an impossible frenzy for they thrived off of his magics. Sarah too was lulled by the power filling the room-her body was positively thrumming with it.

Sarah felt lost, set adrift amongst the crush of dancers who would not, for their lives, let her fall. Then all at once she was moving, flowing quickly through the bodies till her back made solid contact with the outer wall of the dance floor.

It was at this moment Sarah realized that she hadn't been flowing, but rather guided back and out of the dancers; guided out by a rather fierce looking Goblin King, in fact.

Jareth's dress had taken on the dream-like quality of the atmosphere; a deep navy shirt flowed, and revealed a scandalous amount of his chest and was haphazardly tucked into tight fitting pants of a matching color; his boots were high and embellished with dangerous looking bits of metal- almost as if he'd been half dressed for a war, or at least a fight.

But his cape mesmerized Sarah; it looked like it had been cut from the night's sky, stars twinkling in and out of focus as it swirled around him and tickled the edges of her legs.

"Jareth…" Sarah sighed, taking his appearance in, and curled up and into him.

His hands bit cruelly into her shoulders then, the pain shocking some sense back into her, "Foolish girl!" he growled.

Sarah pushed away from him then and the hold on her shoulders relaxed, "Foolish girl? _Foolish girl?!_ You're the one who called me here, here, Jareth. Maybe you shouldn't have been so late for our little 'dinner date,'" she lashed out at him.

Jareth pinned his hands against the wall behind her while his face moved close enough that she could feel his breath against her cheek, "I did _nothing_ of the sort, little girl."

Sarah's gaze snapped up to hold his own, "What do you mean; I just got here by myself?"

"I've told you before, Sarah. Be careful what you dream of; be careful what you wish for," Jareth said seriously.

"But the Turkish Delight? It tasted funny…" Sarah said, still not ready to relinquish the blame.

"I rather imagine you had a bad piece," he said simply.

Sarah looked around hesitantly, "Did I create all this?"

Jareth laughed shortly, "No, _this_ exists, you expressed a desire to witness it."

"Oh," Sarah said shortly, "I must have been having an interesting dream…"

His face seemed to lose some of the anger at that comment, "Do tell, precious," he said with a wicked grin.

Sarah glared up at him, "What took you so long?"

Jareth softly rubbed his nose against Sarah's, "You took too long to call me, Sarah. Though _I_ may have no power over _you,_ I distinctly remember having given _you_ certain powers over _me._"

Sarah mind flashed and she suddenly looked around nervously, "Where's Massimo?"

"Gone," Jareth said.

"Gone were?"

"From where he can never return," Jareth said darkly, "he knew better than to challenge me for what is rightfully mine."

Sarah looked relieved a second before the words clicked in her mind.

"Oh, I'm yours now, am I?" she asked sharply, "Disappear for months on end and then just expect me to come rushing back into your arms?"

"May I remind you again, precious, _you_ _took too long to call,_" he reminded her, annoyance evident in his tone, "it was not _my_ choice."

Sarah had nothing to say to that, so she just looked down, which meant she was staring directly at his chest, which was as appealing as it always was. Annoyed she tried to look elsewhere, lower, but that was even worse than the first. Eventually, she gave up and frowned at him.

She _really_ looked at him then, and he looked tired. His hair, though always a dreamy mess, seemed to lack its normal luster, and- though she couldn't be sure because of the darkness of the room, his eyes seemed to have a dark tint beneath them; maybe he'd been as torn and confused as she'd been these last few months?

Jareth smiled down at her, raising his hand to softly rub his thumb along her lip, "Dance with me."

It wasn't a question, so Sarah didn't bother answering; she simply wrapped her arms around his shoulders and let him lead her to the floor.

The music shifted then, something slow, sultry and quite unlike the frenetic feel of the fae-music.

Sarah sighed and visibly relaxed with the tones, her body melting more into Jareth's. Curling her head up under his neck, Sarah said softly: "I was beginning to think I dreamed you up, again."

Jareth's hand slowly came up to twine itself into her long hair, "No such luck, precious."

Sarah looked up into his eyes then, "Take me somewhere else, Jareth, and this time don't leave me."

He smirked at her, eyes full of wicked delight, "Payback?" he suggested. She'd left him once- for years.

"Yeah, I get it," she responded, trying to keep the annoyance from her voice, "it's a bitch. Just get me out of here."

Holding her close, he whispered into her hair, "As the lady commands."

And for the second time that day, the world fell away into a haze, though before her mind could register it they had arrived at Jareth's intended destination.

"You know," Sarah said thoughtfully, "I didn't really mean _your_ place."

'But Sarah," he said, not able to keep the smile from his voice, "you _didn't really_ specify."

"Touché," she replied, "you know you can't keep me."

His eyes looked sharply into hers at that, "I am well aware of that fact, Sarah. But, for the present, _you are mine."_

Sarah shivered at his words, though not entirely of fear. She took a moment to take in her surroundings, though, truthfully, she'd know this place in the dark: it was _their_ ballroom.

This time, however, it was just them.

Sarah backed out of his embrace, trying to maintain some distance, though he slid a hand down along her arm to clasp hers, maintaining contact.

"What now, Jareth?" Sarah asked, "Dancing, swirling, decaying good fun?"

Jareth raised his eyebrow at her, "I'd hoped you'd join me for a…" he seemed to be trying to think of the best way to put it, "…a late night snack?"

Sarah choked out a laugh at that, "As long as I'm not on the menu," she said, trying and failing to keep humor in her voice.

Luckily Jareth wasn't about to let her relapse into fear, "You are _always_ on the menu, Sarah," he said with a lascivious grin, "however, tonight, I thought we might just talk."

"Talk?" Sarah questioned disbelievingly.

"Talk," he parroted, "You are capable of discussion, Sarah?"

"Talk of what?" Sarah asked, annoyance evident in her voice.

"'Of shoes and ships and ceiling wax?'" he quoted with a grin while softly pulling her towards him again, taking time to gently run his fingers along the side of her neck, gloves catching on the little, fresh wounds.

Sarah hissed a little at the pain, "Never had a thing for vampires, or cabbages," she said gloomily.

"No? What about kings?" he said, leaning closer still, his lips kissing a soft trail along her abused neck.

"Open to persuasion," she said softly, trying and failing to not lean into the pressure of his lips.

Gently, music filtered into the room, swirling around them- though Sarah hardly noticed, it only added to the sensual ambiance of the room.

Jareth swirled her slowly, lips delicately trailing along her neck as their bodies moved together across the dance floor.

"No more puffy, white dresses?" Jareth asked, the words hardly more than a murmur against her skin.

Sarah's breath caught as his tongue swept over a particularly delicious spot on her shoulder, "Wha-at? I'm not sixteen anymore, Jareth."

Slipping fingers into her hair, he purred into against her earlobe, "Duly noted, Sarah."

Then, all in one movement, clasped tightly against him- they were falling.

At first Sarah, still a little disoriented from her earlier experiences, had thought they were falling though time; it wasn't until _after_ she opened her eyes, that she realized they'd fallen into _pillows._

"Oh," she breathed out, trapped between Jareth and layers, upon layers, of cushioning.

It wasn't exactly where she wanted to be, not yet- "I don't think so," Sarah said, eyebrow raised.

"And what, pray tell, is the matter, precious?" Jareth asked, edge of his mouth fighting a smirk.

"I want to be on top," she said, with a pout.

His grin was positively feral as he replied, "I've waited a small _eternity_ to hear those words from your lips, Sarah."

Reversing their positions slowly, ensuring that their bodies slid and tangled together, Jareth's eyes practically sparkled as he grabbed Sarah's hips and hitched her up and onto his body.

"I just meant," Sarah said by way of explanation, "that it's all squishy and claustrophobic down there." Palms resting on his chest, legs straddling his middle, Sarah was even more unsure of _this_ new position.

Her barely-there dress had shimmied itself up and was revealing a scandalous amount of leg, not to mention her bedraggled hair and the skimpy halter that was threatening to slide itself down and off her shoulder.

"Ahh-ah, Sarah. We both know how much you desire control; in this one instance, I am obliged to indulge you," he said, hands slowly trailing up along her revealed legs, over her hips, to brush along her ribcage.

Sarah shivered in the trail of his fingertips.

He was right of course; she did desire control- over him, over her life, over herself. But she was beginning to realize that maybe it wasn't the _only_ thing she desired anymore.

She desired him, though she didn't _quite _love him. Not before, not now- but maybe, with time and trust…just maybe, it _could_ be something more than brief meetings in the night.

Though, for now, she wasn't going to be merely content with letting him have _all_ the fun.

Trailing her hands around, she slipped them over his wrists and pulled his arms away to pin them over his head, "No, I think we'll be playing with my rules, this time."

Stuffing some pillows over his hands, Sarah gave him a look that said: _Stay put._

She was relatively certain it wouldn't last for long, but it might last long enough for her to make the most of it.

Biting her lip, Sarah slowly trailed her nails down the exposed skin of his forearms, catching her fingertips on the soft fabric that covered his biceps, before making her way to his chest.

It was exposed to her, and she longed to touch the lightly muscled planes of his body, but she stopped- looked him in the eye, and made sure he was watching.

He was. He was hardly breathing- his eyes locked with hers, as she slowly lowered her mouth, almost touching- _but not quite- _his body.

Jareth hissed as if in pain, though it was only the sweet torment of anticipation.

At long last, Sarah flicked her tongue out and slowly ran the tip along his collar bone before gently scraping her teeth along his chest, trailing down to his exposed nipple.

Sarah froze, and this time, Jareth _did_ stop breathing.

Her mouth broke into a wicked grin and her tongue snaked along the tip of a most sensitive nub.

And Jareth groaned.

And Sarah paused.

Leaning back, Sarah let her hands explore. With small swirl of her finger over his damp nipple, she asked: "Tell me what we're doing here."

Jareth tried for his most seductive, persuasive smile, "Getting to know each other?"

"But we already know each other, Jareth," Sarah said, fingertips softly trailing patterns along his chest and abdomen.

"Yes, the _worst_, not the best," he said while capturing one of her traveling hands, bringing it to his lips for a soft kiss, "I had rather hoped we might be able to…what is that little, mortal phrase? Have a second chance for a first impression?"

Sarah stilled, her hand resting along the side of Jareth's cheek- could she do that? Could she let him make a first impression- a _real_ first impression, one that wasn't swirling capes, glitter and threats? Could she see Jareth the man? Could he be anything other than the Goblin King to her?

In that moment, wrapped within the terrifying nostalgia of the past and the uncertainty of the future, Sarah decided: he could be more.

And so could she.

She didn't reply, couldn't let that precious moment pass her by; leaning in, Sarah let her heart speak- truly and freely, almost for the first time ever, and kissed him without any reservations.

And wrapped in the timeless space, the impossible moment swirled around them as they met, and found and experienced the other, free of the restraint of the past, the present or the future.

Afterwards, they lay drowsing and Sarah though, just before the moment went fuzzy and left her, though she couldn't be sure, but she thought…she heard him say: _I love you..._

* * *

Sometime later, Sarah awoke with a start; her cat Mephi had jumped heartily up onto her bed, jostling her from sleep.

"Damn, cute cat," Sarah mumbled angrily- _I was having such a good dream._

She couldn't quite remember it, but the overall gist was a glittery, sexy, romp in the pillows with her favorite dream companion.

She smiled burrowing further into her bed and the pillows piled up around her head.

_Wait a minute,_ she thought, _what pillows?_

Sarah whipped around and almost fell off the bed from the sheer amount of fluff along her headboard.

Pillows, everywhere, but not just any pillows, _the _pillows, the pillows from their pillow play, from that den of delicious pleasures that she'd dreamed about: _those pillows._

"Holy shit," her mind helpfully supplied; Sarah leaned into the fluff- _they still smell like him._

Her mind replayed the situation from the previous night, the _whole_ situation and she blushed to the tips of her hair before smiling.

Laying there, she sobered some as she remembered his parting words… ones she hadn't returned…but she'd always known that _he_ loved her.

How did she feel for him?

Sarah smiled to herself, for if the absence had helped her with anything, it had been to recognize her own feelings.

_Maybe I won't wait so long before calling him, next time._

Somewhere, in a land not so far away, a Goblin King grinned wickedly, rolling into the pillows he'd rearranged on his own bed, reveling in the lingering scent and memory of Sarah.

_Next time._ Somehow they both knew there'd be a next time.

* * *

_A/N~ P.S.~Don't own Starbucks (though you'd think considering how much money I spend there I'd at least have stocks in their company) and I surely don't own Turkish Delights, nor the aptly named store in Seattle- though their candy is todiefor. As always, I don't own the Labyrinth (well, except for on VHS, DVD and Blu-ray, but I guess that doesn't count) but I really wish I did. Also just doing this for my own dark amusement ;) I only get paid in reviews! I am really sorry this took so long- hope you enjoy it. I feel like I've exorcised something from my mind- and my computer! Thank the gods. Any mistakes are my own __ I've tried to edit the hell out of it, so if I missed anything- sorry! Just tired of sitting on it._

_P.P.S. ~ Don't die from shock at the update ;) xoxo_

_P.P.P.S.~ Ate a peach to get into the mood for this one; __**they are delicious. **_


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